Smoke in the distance.

All thoughts of setting their own pace were set aside. Normally they would not have reached the forest for another half a day.

But Veilura’s level sat high in the seven hundreds. She was quick to hand Soleil the reins to the cart, demanding she push the Intensity as hard as it would burn. Her mother only needed time to apply wards and enchantments against damage from moving at dangerous speeds.

Once that was done, Veilura took over, burning her own attributes to push Hope as fast as she could go.

Going from a leisurely walk to an intensely magical sprint cut the trip from a five hour down to just under a single hour. Soleil’s sole task had been to hold onto both their hats.

As they began to near the source of the flames, Soleil began to hear sounds that fascinated and frightened her in equal measure.

Emissary and Archon class Mana Engines made very distinctive sounds when they activated skills they were specifically designed around. The mana engine and interface orb’s traditional humming elevated into more of a high pitched whine as twenty attributes were dumped into an elemental beam of some description.

Soleil identified mostly [Frost] and [Lightning Beams] coming from the direction of the fire. Which made sense. The forest was already on fire. No one really benefited from the Grove’s forests being burned down. So the [Frost Beams] made sense as a utility to put out fires. The [Lightning Beams] only made sense if the threat was a single target, as it was the only elemental beam that could not be used to attack multiple targets at once.

What alarmed Soleil was just how many booming thunderous whines came from the discharge of [Lightning Beams.] With that many shots being fired, what were they fighting? Worse, Outrider Knight units did not tend to be the sorts that leveled up more than a handful of their members.

Typically traveling in groups of twenty, two support knights freeing up the others to rotate the responsibility of piloting a dozen Magitech Engines.

Knight Commander Irellia once walked Soleil through the nuances, and well, Soleil had nothing but a whole hour to worry knowing what she did.

The standard Outrider Knight squad fielded six level 86 Emissary Engines, and six level 172 Archon Engines. The Archons demanded twice the drain of mana as Emissaries did, so a spare pilot was always on hand to swap seats.

So a Soul Level One person could safely operate and power a magitech engine up to level 86 at a fairly safe rate of drain on their soul, cycling through their 6 attributes at a regular interval to top off the engine’s one tank. They would have access to a terrifying amount of power, speed, sensors, or skill that the magitech was equipped to perform as if they had up to 90 points in a single stat.

If they were all failing to contain the fire for an hour and lobbing single target beams at the cause, what could Soleil and Veilura add to that equation?

***

The Knight riding the Magitech Archon painted in the brightest of blues called out to one of those adjutant knights fulfilling a support role on the sidelines of the fight.

"Keep those demons away!"

The designated adjutant with close cropped hair the color of raven feathers rushed over to intercept the approaching demons, all the while adopting an apologetic look. "I’m sorry girls. I really don't have time to explain, but please stay out of this for your own safety. This isn’t looking good for us. Which means you two are in incredible danger."

Veilura visibly stiffened at the knight's words.

But the knight turned to squint at Soleil. “Wait. Are you not a demon? Please, miss. Flee. And tell everyone in the surrounding villages that Calamity is here.”

Her mother stood motionless, watching unmoved as a pair of knights were sent flying. The mana engines powering the magitech armor beneath them had [Detonated] in a fiery explosion.

"Soleil," Veilura said with a startling fragility.

"Yes mother?"

"I love you."

"I know. Same here."

"My priority is the safety of you and the cart. If you want to pick this fight, that is your choice to make."

"Is it something we can win?"

The knight gave Soleil and Veilura both exasperated looks. “Are you out of your minds? We had a dozen Magitech Armors and she is treating this like we are her warm up exercise! You two need to leave before she realizes you are here, before it is too late.” Not getting a proper reaction from either demon, she turns to focus on the daughter. “Soleil, right? We Outrider Knights are the ones who are supposed to be helping you. Not the other way around. Please, if I can only save the two of you. That’s enough for me.”

Soleil got a good look at the knight now. Her armor looked brand new. She was visibly shaking and doing her best to put on a tough act. But humans in the north rarely channeled mana. If their Maga Engines could not resolve a problem, they were likely low level and helpless otherwise.

Mana engines could not draw in ambient mana like souls could. More space to house mana could always be added, but mana engines were primarily desired for their ability to pour their entire capacity into a single stat. They were very effective force multipliers for low level users, allowing them to carry filled batteries well beyond what they would be capable of.

And Calamity was an existentially big problem to deal with. Nevermind resolving.

Veilura took a deep breath. "Calamity could have killed those Knights long before we arrived."

Oh.

The realization froze Soleil in place. "She wants us to intervene."

The knight’s breath caught in her throat. She looked about willing to try something, anything to convince Soleil and Veilura to rethink their course of action.

So Soleil gathered up the knight’s gauntleted hands and held them steadily in her own as best as she could. “Hey. What’s your name?”

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The knight’s brown eyes looked down at Soleil’s gesture. “Maeve. I’m Maeve. Outrider Adjutant. Um, I’m not really a knight. I am mostly just here to provide first aid.”

Soleil locked eyes with Maeve and gave her the most earnest smile she could manage. “It is nice to meet you Maeve. I know it feels helpless, but you are spiraling right now. That is both okay and normal. This here is Demon Lord Veilura. Before that she was known as the Grove’s Mirror Witch. Maybe you’ve heard of her.”

Maeve looked nervously at Veilura, who tried to match Soleil’s soft expression. “Demon Lord? So what does that make you? A princess?”

Soleil chortled.

“No! Perish the thought. I’m just the girl who is going to walk over there and thank Calamity for the birthday present she sent me.” Now that she was holding Maeve’s hands in her own, she realized that the fingers were actually leather slipping out from underneath metal covering up to the wrists. She adjusted her grip to give Maeve’s fingers a reassuring squeeze.

Maeve seemed to stare at Soleil in stunned silence for a moment. “I don’t understand.”

Soleil released Maeve from her grip. “It’s okay. You don’t have to. But no one here is going to succeed today in killing Calamity, and all of your knights are still alive, right?”

Maeve struggled to follow Soleil’s words before latching onto the fact that her fellow knights were getting toyed with. Sure they had lost a few Mana Engines, but the people were all still accounted for. Maeve latched onto that.

And in that moment, Soleil saw everything she needed to, a spark of hope. Nadir had once described it as a certain madness infectious in Humans.

“Okay Veilura. I’m ready.”

Her mother’s smile was subtle, but in that moment she knew her mother was proud of her.

Soleil led the way, flanked by Veilura and Maeve.

She kept her sword sheathed.

As they reached a clearing lined with fallen trees, Soleil immediately saw the primary problems that caused the fight to last as long as it had been.

Every single attack the Knights were leveling against Calamity were magical in nature.

Calamity had a rare passive skill only found in powerful monsters in the same weight class as Drakes. Every single attack the knights leveled against her was being [deflected] almost harmlessly without the need for Calamity to so much as take an active defense against anything being thrown at her.

Which made sense. If the Knights were low level, they could not otherwise bring much force to bear.

The second problem was that Calamity could fly using red feather wings, effortlessly preventing the Magitech Engines from using their oversized melee weapons.

It was hard to get a good look at Calamity. Each [Lightning Beam] and [Deflection] caused a bright flash of light that reflected off armored scales adorning the woman. Soleil could almost swear that Calamity was more a Fire Drake in the shape of a woman more than anything else.

But that was hardly surprising. If she was manaborn, she could look however she wanted. Her own mothers were proof enough of that.

Soleil possessed far too little capacity to handle mana to change much about the world around her, let alone herself. Was it any wonder Maeve had mistaken her for a human?

Calamity made no such mistake. “Daughter of Demons, Fox Mother, welcome! Welcome. I will be with you in a few minutes. Allow me to finish dealing with these pesky Humans.”

With a snap of her clawed fingers, a charging [Lightning Beam] skill was interrupted by an instantly activated [Mana Detonation.] The pilot landed badly, causing Maeve to yelp before rushing to their side in order to provide [First Aid.]

Instant cast skills. Okay. That would be hard to plan around but there were over twenty people gathered in the clearing. Surely they could manage something.

More alarming was that Calamity seemed to be targeting the Archons specifically. Only the Knight Captain’s blue Archon Engine remained. The six Emissaries were still accounted for at least.

The Captain fixed his expression into a grimace. He was stirring his Archon for a last desperate charge.

That wouldn’t do.

Soleil needed them to coordinate.

She closed her eyes and extended her hand in the direction of the captain and his Archon before snapping her fingers.

Soleil was not Calamity.

[Detonating] the size 172 Mana Engine powering the Magitech Archon was out of the question. But the orb interface that gave the Knight Captain control over the machine could only channel two attribute points at a time. That was fair game.

[Mana Detonation] cost Soleil two points of Focus and the effects were immediate. No need to maintain her attention on the target or charge up the skill. She did however immediately feel the skill slip out of her reach.

It had a cooldown. That was useful to know.

Also the Knight Captain’s orb interface remained intact. Only two points of mana were briefly removed from the constant drain from its rider, interrupting his inputs. Soleil was not sure if doing this would destroy the interface, but she was pleased to see she had not harmed any of the knights she was here to help.

All eyes turned to Soleil.

But before she could use that attention, the Knight Captain screamed at the top of his lungs. “That Demon is one of Calamity’s!”

Well that was disheartening. And rude.

“No! Wait! I’m here to help!”

Veilura began to channel mana as two [Lightning Beams] began to charge, both aimed at Soleil as if she were a Calamity level threat.

Soleil screamed as the whine of the Emissaries heralded her imminent death.

Two mana engines exploded as the [Lightning Beams] struck a pair of conjured mirrors, reflecting towards a third Emissary and a nearby tree. The second explosion came from Calamity descending from the sky a moment too late to stop it from firing. She crushed it beneath a single [Piercing] claw that instantly breached its armored defenses, cracking the active mana engine at its core.

“Now now.” Calamity started, agitation giving her words a threatening tone. “Only one hero needs to die today. But if you so much as threaten that child again, I will murder you all for the frauds you are.”

The Emissaries backed off. Each of their pilots wore horrified expressions. Slowly they turned to their Captain for guidance.

“Stand down, Knight Outriders.”

“Thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me.” The agitation drained from Calamity’s voice as she turned to approach Soleil.

The world burned beneath her every step as Soleil got to take in the fire-drake appearance of the one whose stated intent had been to murder the last of humanity. This draconic force of nature towered over her, but Soleil could not stop focusing on the moment when Soleil acted against the knights, Calamity had descended in an attempt to protect her.

Too late, perhaps. She had her mother to thank for still being alive. But Calamity had ended the fight with a single threat.

This was a game. She had never intended for Soleil to get hurt.

What happened now that she had come close to perishing?

Soleil found her gaze wandering until it found Maeve in the confusion. The Knight Adjutant had set her strong jawline and steadied her breathing. Maeve seemed to be focused on what she could to patch up the Knights’ wounds.

The Knight Adjutant had hope, hope they could all walk away from this alive.

Soleil needed to stop these humans from being killed. “I promise you Maeve. I am going to try and save them.” She whispered the words to no one in particular, but her mother’s ears flicked in recognition.